Paula White: Trump's Spiritual Advisor Leading 'Faith Office' At White House

Donald Trump has set up a 'Faith Office' at the White House to strengthen ties with religious conservatives. On Friday, the US President signed an executive order appointing televangelist Paula White-Cain, his longtime spiritual advisor, to lead the initiative.

A day before launching the Faith Office, Trump announced a task force under new Attorney General Pam Bondi aimed at combating what he calls the "persecution" of Christians in the United States.

Who is Paula White?

Paula White was born on April 20, 1966, in Mississippi. Her parents owned a toy and craft store, but they divorced when she was five years old. After her father's death, her mother moved with her children to Memphis, Tennessee. This led to financial struggles, and her mother became an alcoholic. In an interview with The Christian Broadcasting Network, Ms White revealed that between the ages of six and thirteen, she suffered sexual and physical abuse from multiple individuals, including neighbours and caretakers. When she was nine, her mother remarried and the family moved to the Washington, DC area.

Paula White graduated from Seneca Valley High School in Germantown, Maryland. In 1984, while living in Maryland, she converted to Christianity at the Damascus Church of God. She later claimed to have received a vision from God, calling her to preach the gospel.

Ms White has been married thrice. Her first marriage was to Dean Knight from 1985 to 1989. with him, she had a son, Bradley Knight. In 1990, she married Randy White and divorced in 2007. In 2015, she married Jonathan Cain, a musician from the rock band Journey. Through her second and third marriages, she became a stepmother to six children.

White began her ministry in the late 1980s, working with inner-city communities in Washington, DC, and later aiding children in post-riot Los Angeles. She co-founded 'Without Walls International Church' in 1991 with her second husband, Randy White, and from 2014 to 2019, she served as the senior pastor of 'New Destiny Christian Center' in Apopka, Florida. She later founded 'Paula White Ministries,' a global media ministry reaching millions.

Currently, she serves as the president of 'Paula White Ministries,' the 'National Faith Advisory Board,' and 'City of Destiny.' She is also a pastor at 'StoryLife Church' and hosts the Christian TV program Paula Today.

Paula White played a key role in Trump's evangelical outreach, serving as the chair of his evangelical advisory board during the 2016 campaign. In 2017, she delivered the invocation at Trump's inauguration, becoming the first female clergy member to do so. In November 2019, Trump appointed her as his special advisor to the Faith and Opportunity Initiative at the White House.

Ms White has also courted several controversies for her beliefs in prosperity theology. In January 2020, she was criticised for a sermon where she prayed against "Satanic pregnancies," which she later clarified as a metaphor referencing Ephesians 6 - a chapter in the New Testament of the Bible. She was also falsely rumoured to have filed for bankruptcy and denied the Trinity.

Paula White has received several accolades for her work. She was presented with the Rosa Parks Award, the Trumpet Award, and the Florida Governor's Award for her contributions following the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting.